Parfums des Beaux Arts by DSh Viridian is a fresh, green fragrance that is in the Chroma Colors collection. It is described as “Organic. Sultry. Enchanted”. I have to agree. It’s a sexy “green” fragrance and I must have it in my collection.

The top of Viridian is dry and green. It reminds me of dry, cut grass. I love hay/grassy scents so I am loving the top to this. It is slightly spicy and green. Yep, just like celery seed. Even though the scent reminds me of dried grass and spicy celery seed, it manages to feel cool and crisp, fresh and green. It is really difficult to describe. I just know that it is a green freshness that is dry. There is no aquatic character to this fragrance. However, it is crisp like a walk outdoors. It has the freshness of wildflowers. These notes are delicate and they add a coolness. The florals are spotty like wildflowers in the forest in late spring. The middle notes of the fragrance are a bit more foresty with the slightly earthy and damp freshness of vetiver and green oakmoss. This adds some mystery to this playful green fragrance. The middle has a bit more of a “woods” feel than a pastoral feel. However, this isn’t overly masculine. It still manages to be tart and green on top of the raw earth. It has a sweet herbaceous character. I get a bit of anise on a bed of green. This is the lovage note. This adds so much to the fragrance. I love it when used in perfumery. At this time I also pick up on a faint citrus. This fuses with the earthy, herbaceous greenness. The dry-down is an “earthier” version of the middle. It is green but it does have the earthiness of patchouli and myrrh. And yes, it is myrrh gum not woodsy myrrh. I love this dry-down because it keeps its greenness and “earth” connection. It’s just that isn’t an oily, earthy patchouli. It’s that it is fresh and earthy, like the ground after a spring rain. This scent goes from pasture to forest to earth.

I adore this fragrance. It is amazing and I can’t imagine my fragrance library without it. I think it is a genius combination of notes. It is a perfect “outdoors” fragrance. It isn’t too masculine. It is subtle and sexy. It reminds me of springtime here in Western Washington. It is an invigorating time of year and the mountainsides are covered in breathtaking palette of wildflowers. It is an earthy scent that isn’t dirty. I see myself wearing this one in the spring and summer. I do see it as a unisex scent. I think it would “take” to the wearer. On me, it is sexy in a very unexpected way. I feel it is a very “me” fragrance and I am comfortable wearing it.

Oh, Old Spice. I know it is low-brow but I really do enjoy its scent. Every fall/winter, I purchase a bottle of Classic Old Spice Body Wash. (Let me emphasize Classic here, those other varieties can go to hell. I thought Axe already had that market covered). This is an inexpensive fix for my need for spicy scents when the temperature drops. I like spicy scents but I usually don’t want to smell like them all day or I only crave them for a short time. That’s why I would rather use the body wash than the cologne. The fragrance is mix of bitter citrus and every spice in your cupboard: nutmeg, clove, cinnamon. It’s the “classic” and I think everyone is familiar with it. Old Spice is aware of the kitschiness of this scent with such slogans as “If your grandfather hadn’t worn it, you wouldn’t exist” and “It will still be around, even after a nuclear fallout”. I do find this comical because it is a classic fragrance that has been a part of American pop culture for some time. However, some of their ad campaigns border on being chauvinistic. It’s all about the “swag” and attracting bodacious babes. I wish that they would realize that there are many, many females out there (some even bodacious) using their product. Sorry guys, but spice is a pretty unisex thing in the fragrance world. Spice for men is cheap; however, spice for women is expensive in the fragrance world.

The shower gel doesn’t smell as nice as the cologne. It does have a strange “chemicalness” to it that fades after a few seconds.. The gel lathers nicely and a little goes a long way. It’s a bright blue gel. I’m not wild about this because it makes the lather a pale gray, giving me a temporary zombie-like/corpse complexion. I guess their male target group doesn’t mind this? The fragrance lightly lingers and doesn’t interfere with any of my other fragrances that I choose to use. It isn’t very moisturizing. It appears that dudes aren’t interested in that.

An 18 fl. oz. bottle retails for under $5. This is a great deal for this shower gel. My husband and I have both been using a bottle for months now. I must add that I do love the smell of Old Spice on him and he even likes it on me.

Korres Juniper & Rum Shower Gel smells amazing. It is one of my favorite Korres scents ever. I know that it is marketed for their male audience but I adore it. It is such a sexy woodsy scent. It smells like a mix of dry woods and a sophisticated bay rum. It is “classic cool” in shower gel form. It is like putting a 50’s swooner in a bottle. It’s a blend of dried out woods. It isn’t evergreeny or fresh juniper. It’s just dry woods with a hint of tropical rum. It almost gives an illusion of a piece of wood that has a lacquer finish.

My husband loves this stuff and always says that he wishes he could get a cologne in this fragrance. I wish he could. I love the smell of this stuff. It lingers on his skin after the shower. This is unlike most Korres shower gels. Since I love this scent so, I like to use it to. It mixes so well with “modern” woods women’s fragrances such as Estee Lauder Sensuous, Tom Ford White Patchouli, or TokyoMilk Parfum Dead Sexy.

The shower gel lathers OK without a loofah and doesn’t dry out the skin. I’m mainly in love with it because of the dry woodsy scent that goes with some of my favorite fragrances.

I love a fig fragrance. They are what I “collect”. Sometimes I find myself purchasing less-than-perfect-figs just because I can’t help it. And I love a fig fragrance that actually smells wonderful and retails for under $10. (This product retails for $9). So, what I am saying is that I love Pacifica Mediterranean Fig Solid Perfume. It is a must have for the fig lover. And even a must have for those wanting a simple scent. I see why this is one of Pacifica’s #1 sellers.

The tin is adorable. I love the almost Marimekko inspired fig graphic design. The tin is nice for travel and is about the size of a lip gloss tin. The texture is a bit waxy but “sticks” just fine when mixed with the warmth of your fingers rubbing it in. It is moisturizing with coconut and soy wax. I love the intimacy of a solid perfume. They wear closely and you wear them, not the other way around. It doesn’t wear very long because of its medium, but that is why it is travel friendly. It wears on me for about 3 hours and I actually enjoy applying it again. It’s a nice fig pick-me-up. And isn’t that big of a deal to re-apply. I re-apply lipsticks like 30 times a day.

The fragrance is fig, not so fruity, but much more woodsy and green. My all time favorite fig scent is Diptyque Philosykos. Pacifica is no Diptyque but look in the difference of price! Diptyque is a great fig fragrance in a solid fragrance medium and I have layered it under the Diptyque EDT for “lasting power”. Like I said, it isn’t fruity fig or fruity fig sap like some fig blends. It isn’t blended with sugar or vanilla for a fig dessert like scent. This is more of a “Mediterranean” scent. It is warm, simple, and cozy. It smells of smooth fig tree leaves, “greeness” from neighboring plants, and a woodsy base of dry sandalwood. Since this is a solid, I feel it is what you smell is what you get. There isn’t a transformation. This is a well-rounded green fig scent mixed with sundried driftwood. It’s effortless to wear. It’s a great reminder of late summer seaside strolls. This is a great unisex solid perfume. I say to give it a try if you are a fan of fig scents or if you like Antica Farmacista Green Fig EDP, Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Amalfi Fig EDT, Diptyque Philosykos EDT or solid, TokyoMilk Marine Sel Perfume Solid, Heeley Figuier EDP, L’Artisan Parfumeur Premier Figuier EDT, Marc Jacobs for Him, and/or Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue for Her EDT.

This is an all natural fragrance that is in Parfums des Beaux Arts by DSH “Gaia Perfume Collection”. This is as the name applies, a spicy fragrance. I really do like spicy fragrances but I think I have “low-brow” spicy fragrance tastes. I seem to always use Old Spice as my spice fragrance point of reference. Well, Epices d’Hiver is spicy and citrusy like Old Spice but much more high-brow. At first it is a wonderful winter citrus explosion. You can smell bitter oranges, blood oranges, perfumey bergamot, and grapefruit. It is citrusy but nothing like the “citrus” you would grab in the middle of summer. This is definitely a “cold” citrus blend. I mean that it doesn’t smell like fresh citrus juices but more like citrus essential oils. I then smell lots and lots of star anise. This is a good thing because I love the smell of star anise. I know other spices are present but I pick up on the star anise the most. I get a hint of cloves and nutmeg. The spiciness of this fragrance reminds me a lot of Pae-lo or Chinese Five Spice. Or Sambuca mixed with a bay rum aftershave blend or Old Spice. The dry down is soft, warm, and resiny. It reminds me of non-burning incense. It is “round”, mellow, and wears closely to the skin.

This is a nice scent for cooler weather. It is spicy without smelling “Christmasy”. It has been a great fragrance to wear during this past week when the temps have been about 19° F. It reminds me of a beautiful bay rum (I guess because of the davana mixed with citrus and spices) with a dash of Pae-lo. This is a spice fragrance that both sexes can wear. It is a great “classic” scent for the kind of male that spends his winter holiday eating clam chowder by a fire in a wool sweater that he got in Novia Scotia last year before he goes out yachting. I also see it for the kind of confident female that wears Old Spice, Hepburn-ish pant suits, and red lipstick. I see both wearers as an “adventurous” type.

This is a long-wearing scent because that wears closely to the skin most of the time because of the expensive essential oils used in the blend. I really do like this scent and I don’t mean it any harm by comparing it to Old Spice. That is just my low-brow reference for spicy blends. For a “spice” blend this one is beautiful and complex. It reminds me of anything from warming Sambuca cocktails to “faraway”, “exotic” spice blends. I really do like this fragrance and I find it very easy to wear for a spicy fragrance. I wear it and it doesn’t wear me. My husband also likes this one. He says it smells of Compari and Sambuca. He says that this is the most sophisticated bay rum in the world. I would say that this means a lot coming from a guy that wears bay rum in the winter and has a very limited scent vocabulary. Notes include: bergamot, bitter orange, citrus oils, coriander seeds, davana, pink peppercorn, star anise, cinnamon bark, clove bud, jasmine, Moroccan rose, nutmeg, spice notes, ambrette seeds, labdanum, Siam benzoin, tolu balsam, tonka bean, Arabian myrhh, and vanilla absolute. A few sizes are available. The 5 ml bottle in an antique inspired bottle goes for $90. I recommend this fragrance for the person that loves spice fragrances, The Different Company Un Parfum d’Ailleurs & Fleurs, Annick Goutal Madragore EDT, L’Artisan Parfumeur Fou d’Absinthe EDP, L’Artisan Parfumeur Navegar EDT, Byredo Parfums Fantastic Man, Etro Anice, Parfumerie Generale Un Crime Exotique EDP, and/or Old Spice 🙂 It is available on DSH’s website.

This isn’t a fragrance that I would wear to work, because I don’t want anybody thinking I’ve been smoking a pipe in my little “speech studio”. But, I do love this fragrance. I love the sweetness of whiskey tobacco. This cologne smells like the real deal. Demeter’s website describes it as tobacco smoke and whiskey. I don’t pick up on any smokiness. This to me smells just like if you opened a jar of whiskey “flavored” pipe tobacco at a cigar shop. This is sweet, warm, and best described as masculine. It is very dried tobacco-ish, you know it if you’ve smelled it before, and a bit vanilla, well, more buttery burnt coconut-vanilla cream, like whiskey aged in oak. It’s a beautiful thing really. It’s nostalgic and reminds me of all of my grandfather’s old man friends with burnt white moustaches that sat around in leather chairs in the sitting room smoking flavored pipe tobacco and complaining about everything. Well, sometimes they talked about ultralight airplanes.

Like all Demeter Cologne Pick-Me-Up fragrances, this one isn’t long-lasting. It mainly exists for its novelty. I do enjoy it but I don’t want to smell like whisky/whiskey tobacco all day. I love that fragrance but it needs to be in a “blend” for me to want to wear it for many hours (It’s screaming for dried apricots and roses). This cologne blend wears for about 30-45 minutes on me during cooler weather. For me, this is a cool weather fragrance because of its sweetness. I do love to use it as a linen and room spray. This creates a hip cigar lounge atmosphere everywhere.

I do consider this a unisex fragrance. The 1 ounce cologne spray goes for $20. And other sizes are available on www.demeterfragrance.com. I would say to give this one a try if you love the smell of pipe tobacco, Santa Maria Novella Tobacco Tuscano Cologne, Miller Harris Feuilles de Tabac EDP, Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque EDP, Micheal Kors for Men EDT, and/or Odori Tobacco.

Parfums des Beaux Arts by DSH Mahjoun is a decadent gourmand that is a must have for the honey lover. I love the scent of honey. It’s sweet but raw. This makes it difficult to wear. If you are one of the lucky and confident few out there that could wear a heavy honey based scent then this is a must for you. The fragrance’s website describes Mahjoun as “exotic, sensuous, and delicious“. Oh, it is. And it is based on the Moroccan delicacy (an ancient cannabis confection). I have never traveled to Morocco. Mainly because I love the “exotic” vision that I have of it in my mind and I don’t want to be let down. I want it to always be that “faraway” place. I love to picture the textures and smells of Morocco. I imagine bold spices, dried fruits and flowers, and precious resins. This is what I imagine and this is what Mahjoun delivers. It makes my mouth water. It is much sweeter than what I would imagine the streets of Morocco being like. This is much more dessert and gourmand and intoxicating, as the name implies. I usually can’t (or won’t) wear “sweet” fragrance but I see myself wearing this one frequently. It is sweet but it has so many other things keeping it interesting and “raw” while remaining beautiful. It is so sweet like honey as soon as you put it on. It’s sweet but very musky and sexual. At first spritz, it is a all about the sweetness of raw honey with a heavy dose of bitter almonds and zesty citrus juices. You can pick up a bit of lavender. This makes this is a crisp but sweet scent. Lavender honey is one of my favorite treats, especially in a black tea with a squeeze of lemon. The crispness fades fairly quickly and you are left with the “heart” of this fragrance. The heart is much like a sweet, sweet confection. It is heavy on the honey. It’s rich and golden, syrupy. It is mixed with dried fruits. I pick up on the dried dates and the dried pipe tobacco like aroma of dried figs. It is far from smoky, it just smells like a mix of honey and dried fruit flavored pipe tobacco. It has a dusting of sweet spices like nutmeg. It isn’t really “spicy”. The spices just add to the richness of the honey and sticky dried fruits. They are very understated. The “heart” has a bit of toasty nuttiness. Hazelnut in fact. My favorite. This makes this scent almost masculine/unisex and a must have for the lover of L’Artisan Parfumeur Mechant Loup EDT (my review here). I imagine it as a very intoxicating scent on both males and females. It’s really for anyone who has dreamed of being swept away by Rudolph Valentino as The Sheik. (This fragrance really does embody that Silent Film obsession with “exotic” and “sensual” and “forbidden” Bedouin culture).

The dry-down is less smoky and resiny than I would of imagined/predicted but it is there. It is an oriental blend of “exotic” resins and precious woods. It remains honey-ish but more in a beeswax with honey way with lots of amber, myrhh, sandalwood, frankinsence. It smells of exotic incense. I have to say that this is my all time favorite honey based scent that I have tried throughout my many years of sniffing. It is less “pissy” than L’Occitane Honey & Lemon EDT. It is sweet without sweetness being its soul purpose of existence like Lush Honey I Washed The Kids Solid Perfume.

Notes include the following: bitter almond, cardamom seed, cherry blossom, lavender, lemon, sweet orange, Bulgarian rose, fig, hazelnut, honey, nutmeg, orange blossom, sugar date, amber, atlas cedarwood, cinnamon, clove, frankincense, sandalwood, and Arabian myrrh. Many sizes are available. It’s a rich fragrance that wears for many hours closely to the skin. An 1 ounce EDP spray goes for $65. It is available at the Parfums des Beaux Arts website. I would say to give this one a try if you are a fan of complex honey scents or L’Artisan Mechant Loup, L’Artisan Havana Vanille, Tokyomilk Honey & The Moon EDP, Serge Lutens Chene, Arabie, or Fumerie Turque, Napa Valley Cielo EDP(my review here), just to name a few in the honey oriental genre.